WCC's San Diego is a #3 seed in the Los Angeles Regional...San Francisco is a #3 seed in the Eugene Regional.

North Carolina garners No. 1 seed

OMAHA, Neb. -- As good as the record-setting Vanderbilt baseball team has been this season, North Carolina has been just a little bit better.

That was the opinion of the NCAA Division I baseball tournament selection committee, which on Monday picked the Tar Heels as the No. 1 national seed for the 64-team tournament.

"It was really a close, close call," committee chairman Dennis Farrell said. "I'm not so sure I can really articulate what the determining factor was."

The tournament opens Friday with 16 four-team, double-elimination regionals. Best-of-three super regionals will be held next week, with those winners moving to the College World Series in Omaha.

The national seeds behind North Carolina and Vanderbilt, in order, are: Oregon State, LSU, Cal State Fullerton, Virginia, Florida State and Oregon...

San Diego and San Diego State qualified for the tournament in the same year for the first time. That extends a prolific season for slugger Kris Bryant, who has hit a nation-leading 31 homers for San Diego...

A senior laden team clinches first place in the WCC on May 5 and then proceeds to go on a 7-game losing streak to ruin the season. Pitchers could not pitch, hitters could not hit with men in scoring position, and a lot of guys failed to step up their game.

It is almost as if they lost their edge by clinching the regular-season title 2 weeks before USD, USF and BYU, who had to fight to finish in a 3-way tie for 2nd and qualify for the tournament.